the Rift


[PRIVATE] Leave the bill on the table, Knox

Aryel Posts: 229
Dragon's Throat Soldier
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.4 :: 4
FennecFyre
#1



There was a nip in the air. Orangemoon was just beginning, and it wouldn't be long before Aryel's long-anticipated fight with Crowley, the Aurora Basin Weaver, would transpire. She had been waiting for the day, training her body and her mind, adding new tricks to her arsenal of combat moves, perfecting her control over her new magic. She was as ready as she could be. Still, she felt a speck of nervousness. Crowley wouldn't have called that fight unless he thought he could win. He was a coward, plain and simple.

Hound nice, interjected Java from his perch on her back. Even though their mind-speech was difficult to decipher, Aryel snorted. Java had formed a quick friendship with Crowley's hellhound Talbot, even though Aryel doubted he would be the same playful puppy the next time they met. Raising her head from the succulent grass she was grazing on, she let the wind move through her cobalt mane and tail. At least the insects had finally retreated, and she didn't have to bother with flies or mosquitoes. Her eyes traveled down to the glimmering golden gem strung on a metallic rope around her neck, a gift from Sumati when she recieved her promotion. She had worn the Sun amulet as a good-luck charm when she fought D'artagnan, but she knew it had another use. But unless she could find somebody willing to cast their magic at it, it was nothing but a shiny trinket. She shifted her stance, still feeling her injuries from that fight. She had sent the blood bay away with wounds of his own, but the fight had been difficult on her. Dumb hornhead.

Still, imagine bringing a third charge of magic to her duel. Crowley wouldn't see that coming. She had thought about putting in some of her own magic, but felt that it would be wasting an opportunity. Flames were fine, but collecting a different kind of magic would be even better. She surveyed the lush plateau, seeing no other horses in sight. What were the odds of even coming upon a horse with magic before the fight?

Walk walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk talk."

ARYEL</style>
In blood and honor, we will prevail.</style>

image by gpabill @ flickr.com
Thanks for the good times, and no hard feelings for the bad times.

Vicer and Aryel's new threads never happened.


Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#2





The Young's mind is the curious creature that occupies the forefront of the hunter's mind. He and his companion drag their bodies through the grass, exhausted from a day of missed opportunities and wasted hours. Manhattan seems frustrated with Zsoka's childish ways, but she can say nothing against it. The colt himself frolics in Knox's firm, muscled figure. When on any other day the hunter would have tread softly and slowly, Zsoka suddenly brings Knox to a full gallop through the heavenly fields. Manhattan's warning barks- portents of a stranger- mean nothing to the childlike wonder overtaking Knox's usual cold and common sense.

Light seems to surround the dark figure of Knox, taking him in and out of view as his newfound magic flickers on and off. The cloak is effective but, under Zsoka's control, garish. The 8 month old mind causes the camouflage to glimmer and shine until Knox is merely a mirage flickering in and out of sight and consciousness. It is Manhattan's growl, the careful scrape of her poison-ridged teeth along her possessed master's hocks, that at last stops the Young from pulling the strings of the puppet any longer. Knox stands then, brutally exposed, under the bright light. In the cold of an Orangemoon wind, the massive black draft shivers at Zsoka's instinct. He seems weak- he appears foolish. Manhattan sulks in his bright shadow and eyes the pegasus mare with suspicion. It is clear that Zsoka will soon make a fool of Knox's good character and smear his stony reputation; the mutt only hopes that this mare won't take the experience of the odd encounter elsewhere.

Slowly, Manhattan's faint poison dulls Zsoka's meddlesome consciousness and Knox regains control of himself. It is too late now, he is too clearly outlined by the sun, too darkly casting a shadow across the features of the grey before him, but he still does what he can to be unseen. He seems to slink backwards and away from her- it becomes quite clear that he has no desire to spend much time in her company. Still, the hunter hears the mischievous nickering of Zsoka like a call. He cannot force himself to go far, and so he dwells, doing what he can to keep his mouth clamped shut and the words of his youngest ancestor within his head.

[[Sorry this is a bit of a scatterbrained post.]]

KNOX and MANHATTAN



Image by Elope

Aryel Posts: 229
Dragon's Throat Soldier
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.4 :: 4
FennecFyre
#3



It was Java who pointed out the strange horse prancing like a colt through the meadow. His small mental pull raised Aryel's head, and she watched the male with curiosity. While he was obviously young, he was setting up to be a handsome stallion when he matured, although his looks weren't what she was paying attention to. She was more focused on the flickering that seemed to overtake him, and her ears pricked with interest. Was it magic? Could he turned invisible? What an advantage that could be in a fight. An idea formed in her head. If he would tolerate her, she would proposition him for a charge of that or another ability. She wasn't sure what she had to offer in exchange, other than some feathers for his mane, but perhaps they could work out a deal .She didn't like the nasty look of the dog that slunk behind him though. She snorted quietly as Java's intent to stay on her back, as far away from the dog as possible, came in through their bond. When the dog nipped the draft's hocks, she took a step forward, concerned, but the only effect seemed to be his calming down. By now, he had noticed her as well, and seemed to turn to leave, flickering away again as he did so.

"Excuse me." she called, walking forward, hoping he hadn't simply teleported away. "Are you still there? I saw all that...well, magic, I suppose, and I'd like to make a bargain with you." She stood what she hoped was a reasonable distance from him, it was hard to tell talking to an invisible horse. She arched her neck, the Sun amulet catching light as she did so. "Are you familiar with amulets? This particular one can store an ability cast at it, and that cloaking ability you seem to have really is amazing. I'd like to propose a trade. A charge of magic for, well..." Here she trailed off. "Whatever I can provide, I suppose." She did have other amulets, but it would take a flight back to the Throat to retrieve them.

(Overdue post is overdue. I wasn't sure if he was invisible at the end of his post, let me know if I need to change something.)

Walk walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk talk."

ARYEL</style>
In blood and honor, we will prevail.</style>

image by gpabill @ flickr.com
Thanks for the good times, and no hard feelings for the bad times.

Vicer and Aryel's new threads never happened.


Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#4





The Young's heart soars and cackles like a coyote. Mere moments after meeting this mare and she wants something from him! As much as Knox lurks behind the young's mind, it still seeps through the cracks and slowly manages to take over. The hunter's dour expression turns involuntarily to one of innocent and spoiled mischief. Manhattan's growl pushes her body forward and closer to the mare. The dog sees nothing of value in such a greedy and self-important creature. She is frustrated enough having to subdue the child's heart beating within her master's breast, she has little patience for the pegasus.

"Manhattan! Manhattan, lower those hackles," chimes the cheerily wicked voice of Zsoka from behind the mutt. The young takes great joy in seeing how easily she listens to him, as if he were her true master. Zsoka pulls Knox's body begrudgingly forward, letting his lips curl upwards in satisfaction as he controls the older colt's body like a puppet master. His head tilts in an ever-so-curious fashion that appears foolish on a figure as imposing as Knox, but is apparent nonetheless. Knox's body picks up the injury that Zsoka once possessed, visible in the slight shaking of the colt's right foreleg. Slowly, Knox lets the colt's old habits command him; he would not allow Zsoka to live fully renewed in his body.

Visibly frustrated, Zsoka's head shook from side to side and form straightened to compensate for the weakness visible in his leg. "An amulet, huh? No, no, more importantly, a bargain. I like those." The colt asks and answers simultaneously, maintaining a singsong tone of voice that permeates the atmosphere of the conversation. A subdued but still irritated Manhattan lets her ruddied fangs, dripping with poison, catch the peaceful light of the heavenly fields. She will not let them forget that she is a threat.

"I guess you could convince me..." he continues with a step backwards. The silver resting within Knox's soul extends outwards into the daylight, heading towards Aryel's eyes in a flash of what looks like smoke. Soon her vision will fade to black- Zsoka relishes in the control he has. Within, Knox bucks and kicks at the foolishness of his ancestor, but the resistance only shows in the violent shaking of the child's leg. With a hiss, Zsoka obeys and pulls the silver back to within the hunter- Aryel's vision will have been gone for no more than a moment, but the implication is clear. "but, magic? You'll have to be more specific..." the child goes on garrulously, frowning down at Manhattan as she blocks her mind off from his own and stiffens her tail. He feels a sort of hate for her burning within his petty, immature mind- if not for Knox's swift buckling of his leg, the thought might have remained.

Zsoka recovers, but barely, and with a cowardly whinny. To the side of the scene, Manhattan's tongue lolls from her open mouth and her tail wags in enjoyment. What a pleasure it is to see the fool punished. With a shudder, Zsoka struggles to pull Knox's body closer to Aryel, but it is to no avail. With gritted teeth, he finishes his thought "...and you'll owe me. Owe me anything I want, whenever I decide I want it- no take backs."

Very suddenly, the deal and the child take a darker turn.

[[For the record, his magic doesn't make him invisible, really, he just looks like light or shadow depending what is more present in the area, and that messes with people's minds so they almost don't think of him as if he's there. Like being willed to ignore him- it works best when no one has seen him perform the magic or before he was using it. Zsoka was just messing around to piss Knox off.

Also, assuming I have permission to blind Aryel temporarily, but I can edit it out. Otherwise she has no way of learning about his blinding magic unless he tells her and Zsoka would rather have more fun than that. x3]]

KNOX and MANHATTAN



Image by Elope

Aryel Posts: 229
Dragon's Throat Soldier
Mare :: Pegasus :: 14.4 :: 4
FennecFyre
#5



Aryel sidled as the black dog slunk closer, still growling. From his perch, Java gave an answering growl, albeit one that was more like a purr than the canine's guttural noise. At the colt's command, she stood down, but Aryel kept the dog in her vision just the same. The other horse moved strangely, his motions jerky and odd. His wobbly leg drew her attention for a minute before he spoke to her. His tone, like his movements, did not seem to match the almost fully adult body he possessed.

She hadn't expected the smoke streaming from him, though. She stepped back as it shot towards her face, clouding her eyes and driving her vision black. Alarmed, she shook her head and tensed her body, fearing trickery and preparing for a surprise attack. None came, however, and her vision went back to normal within moments. So he had more than one ability. Interesting. Disappearing would be useful, but being able to completely blind an enemy would be even moreso.

She snorted as the stallion stumbled, wondering why he could not seem to control himself. Everything about this situation was unsettling, from his jerky movements to his childish mannerisms, not to mention the nasty dog. Still, she was going to see this bargain completed. She waited for Knox to recover, then listened to his terms.

Not very pleasant terms in the least. Her ears flicked back as she wondered what he would want that favor for. She owed a debt to the Edge horse Torasin for healing her injuries, but he was much kinder than this horse, and she had simply pledged to aid him in combat. This open-ended favor called up all sorts of nasty scenarios. Her eyes flicked to her amulet, wondering if it was worth it. Bad 'dea, muttered Java. Badbadbad.

"The blinding magic, then. And if I can draw the line at murdering somebody," she paused. "Then deal." Java dug his claws into her skin, but she ignored him, instead lifting her head to expose the amulet nestled against her throat.

Walk walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk talk."

ARYEL</style>
In blood and honor, we will prevail.</style>

image by gpabill @ flickr.com
Thanks for the good times, and no hard feelings for the bad times.

Vicer and Aryel's new threads never happened.


Knox Posts: 262
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 7.5 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 17hh :: 7 Years [Tallsun] HP: 67.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Jen
#6





The Young is easily and thoroughly amused by what she is willing to sacrifice. She is a fool- as Knox's blue eyes lock with hers, Zsoka can feel this. The greedy child within the body of the stalwart hunter wants more and almost demands it, but when she agrees, he realizes there is little more he could want. Anything but "Murder? Why would I ever want that?"

Why would he want murder? He is just a child. Knox may stand before Aryel a killer, but Zsoka still plays in the light and chases creatures for sport rather than the hunt. He feels himself fade back into the complex woodwork of Knox's mind, his task complete. Knox emerges slowly from the shadows, rattled by the unfamiliar whispers of his ancestors. He is unsure if he would have made this deal, but, having been made, Zsoka's part of the bargain must be fulfilled. Knox, now in control of his own powerful figure, steps back into the thick yet drying grasses of the meadow. Manhattan rises to her feet, ready to leave at her master's command, and watches the scene before her unfold with her eyes narrowed and folded ears perked. With a sigh, Knox lets' the silver smoke sliver from his eyes and into the central gem of the amulet. It fills with the nebulous silver of his magic, blinded until such a time that the strange mare chooses to use it. But he charges it for no more than a spar- he will not give her the power to take someone's sight forever. Even in the dark, sorrowful heart he carries with him, there is some sense of cruelty.

The stallion bows his head, feeling an uncomfortable sensation burning within his breast. There is little more to say here, or to do. "Should you ever need me again, call upon me as Knox," he speaks lowly, sounding subdued and once again like himself. His tail lashes behind him as a signal, and as his body turns away from the mare Manhattan's does the same. In moments a cloak of light surrounds them and they wander beyond the fields.

...Almost as if they were never there.

KNOX and MANHATTAN



Image by Elope


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